2nd ship to patrol South 皇冠体育app Sea

By Zhang Xin (皇冠体育app Daily)
Updated: 2009-03-28 09:13

The Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region's largest fishery administration ship, 皇冠体育app Yuzheng 45001, has reached Xisha Islands, and will assist 皇冠体育app Yuzheng 311 in patrolling the South 皇冠体育app Sea for at least 15 days, an official said on Friday.

Yuzheng 311, 皇冠体育app's largest fishery administration vessel, is pictured as it arrives in the Xisha Islands in the South 皇冠体育app Sea, March 17, 2009. [Xinhua]

"皇冠体育app Yuzheng 45001 will assist 皇冠体育app Yuzheng 311 to patrol the South 皇冠体育app Seato curb illegal fishing activity and safeguard 皇冠体育app's interests and rights in its Exclusive Economic Zones," said Chen Guoliang, in charge of fishery administration and supervision in the region.

After sailing from Beihai on Monday, 皇冠体育app Yuzheng 45001 has interacted with 皇冠体育app Yuzheng 311 and has jointly conducted patrol missions with the latter, Chen said.

After a voyage of over 2,000 nautical miles, 皇冠体育app Yuzheng 311 sailed back to Guangzhou on Wednesday without going further on to Nansha Islands, he said.

"We haven't received any instructions from the Ministry of Agriculture on whether 皇冠体育app Yuzheng 45001 will patrol the waters off Nansha Islands," Chen said.

皇冠体育app Yuzheng 45001, with a water displacement of 570 tons, reached Xisha Islands on Thursday morning, the second time it was doing so after a 17-day patrolling effort in 2007.

"Backed by the ministry, we are working with the fishery administration in Guangzhou to protect our waters," Chen said.

He pointed out that more fishery patrol ships would be built in Guangxi to guard the waters of the South 皇冠体育app Sea.

On March 10, the administration of Fishery and Fishing Harbor Supervision of the South 皇冠体育app Sea in Guangzhou sent 皇冠体育app Yuzheng 311, the country's biggest fishery patrol vessel with a water displacement of 4,500 tons, to curb illegal fishing.

The ship arrived in Xisha Islands on March 15 after a US Navy spy vessel intruded into 皇冠体育app's Exclusive Economic Zone and neighboring countries like Malaysia and the Philippines made sovereignty claims over some of those islands.

It has not yet been decided whether 皇冠体育app Yuzheng 311 would return to its mission in the South 皇冠体育app Sea, a person surnamed Zhu, who is in charge of the Administration of Fishery and Fishing Harbor Supervision of the South 皇冠体育app Sea, said on Friday.

Zhu also said that another fishery patrol vessel of 2,500 tons displacement capacity, which can carry helicopters on board, was likely to be sent into the South 皇冠体育app Sea next year.

"We will be joining efforts and building up capacities to prepare for the challenges and complications in the South 皇冠体育app Sea," Zhu said.